The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Looks to me like Howard Hughes…
From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes
Pan Am Sikorsky S-43
From Mystery Foto #13 Solved: Willie K's Seaplane at Port Washington Marine Base in 1938 & Howard Hughes
I’d say Rugby is safer than Auto Polo.
From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Advertising Part II
What a great film! Wonderful gathering of cars from a less hectic era on Long Island. I never knew Old 16 was owned by Peter Helck, such an extraordinary artist.
From Images & a Trophy From the Greatest Vintage Car Event Ever Held on Long Island
I worked there washing dishes when I was in my 20’s. It was so much fun! We had to be so fast! I believe I was the first female to be ever be hired there. My dad was the head waiter, bartender, the chef!
From Mystery Foto #18 Solved: The Links Golf Club's Private Entrance to the Long Island Motor Parkway
While out running some errands, I found myself heading home on Deer Park Ave and decided to see the location in person for a ‘then and now’ perspective.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
Brian, Re: The paving of the roadway in Suffolk County. In 1910 it was paved from Round Swamp Rd. to Bagatelle Rd. In 1912 paved from Bagatelle to Wheeler Road. In 1913 Wheeler to Rosevale Ave. All the pavement consisted of a 4 inch concrete base and a 2 inch “Bituminous Macadam”. The delay in paving was due to a combination of bad weather, money, and soil settling that had to rolled . In early 1911 the Parkway paid the Andrew Bros. Construction Co. of Mineola $1513.04 to spread 75,652 gallons of road oil on the unpaved portions of the roadway.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
This one has had me head scratching all weekend and I hate being stumped…
I’ve run out of time, so I’m just going with guess and say the ten mile post was seen traveling West from Ronkonkoma at just about where the Brentwood lodge was located. I think the curve in the mystery photo is the curve just after Harned Rd spur.
I am unsure as to the rationale for the ID # pattern.
I’m attaching another photo from ‘along the motor parkway’ series taken of the section that is now on the northern portion of Manhasset Hills showing the Old Courthouse Rd bridge.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
Image matching Bethpage Lodge above.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
*Mystery Foto Location - my best guess is a gentle curve between Candlewood Path N & Deer Park Ave. Dix Hills.
*10 mile post - should be at the intersection of Candlewood Path N and Vanderbilt Pkwy. The distance from the Bethpage Lodge.
*Pavement in Suffolk County - I remember Al Velocci saying that most of the LIMP in Suffolk wasn’t paved or open to traffic prior to 1915? Anyway, the road was constructed with a concrete base, and then paved with asphalt.
*Postcard #‘s - There is some pattern of the numbers/distance : W/O Huntington Lodge 13527 towards W/O Commack Rd 13536 is a difference of 9 ( about 9 miles between ). Some are less precise ( but the images are great ). I’m thinking the difference between the Lake 13549 and the Inn 13543 is 6 yards ( 18 to 20 ft ). I found an identical Bethpage Lodge image as above numbered 13525. Difference of 2 with Huntington 13527 ( really about 1.7 miles between ).
It’s curious that the Mystery Image is numbered 13519, lower than the other numbers; so it should be 6 miles, yards etc into Nassau County? Wait and discover, this was a thinker : ) !
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
Looks like June 6th, 1908 was a warm, sunny day. Big crowd!
From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location
I’m guessing the Motor Parkway Atlas was measuring in miles from the Bethpage Lodge for the newly completed section of Motor Parkway. The mile 10 curve (9.8) east of the lodge is in Dix Hills, just east of the LIMP’s last bridge over Deer Park Ave by Candlewood Path. If correct, I believe the photo below is near (west of) the mystery photo but facing in the opposite direction.
Also noticed in the mystery photo a section of guardrail missing on the curve, the location of Parkway Br #10314 that was yet to be built. Guardrails at this time were made of wood. And the atlas east of the Bethpage Lodge was drawn in three sections, with each section ending with a “49” designation. The last postcard of the lake behind the Inn has a 49 designation as well, while the front of the Inn postcard has a 43. The postcards and the atlas seem to be connected
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/csi_report_identification_of_a_rare_photo_of_the_motor_parkway_in_suffolk_c
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
i have a one that i’ve had for about 40 years. here’s a picture. Any info on it wold be appreciated.
________________________________________________________________________
Howard Kroplick
Your porcelain plate is a parking pass for Roosevelt Field similar to my plate # 398
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/my_long_island_motor_parkway_license_plate_collection
From Updated: My Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate Collection (11/7/2025)
Wow! Great Atlas purchase and rare opportunity to preserve historical data. Thanks Howard for all your efforts. Love the Queens B map with the GCP nowhere in sight, for another 23 years! It’s a long shot but always wondered about that old monument that hasn’t been discovered yet. Tiny as they are, that would truly be a needle in the haystack search
Photo below: Bike riders in Alley Pond Park 1940, braving the 8% grade under the GCP bridge.
From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The 1910 Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap
LOVE IT ! THANK YOU HOWARD
Particularly page 6 showing the OBVR portion and how far it went into OBVR versus Bethpage-Spagnoli Rd which can be computed from the Battle Row Curve.
From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The 1910 Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap
Couldn’t tell you anything about the Mystery question but I sure did enjoy seeing the pictures…
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
Note: West of Wheeler Road Central Islip is 13539 ( not 13529 )
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
Since we are looking west, I’m going to assume that the ten mile post is a point on the LIMP approximately 10 miles west of the Petit Trianon. Using an old map and rough calculations, along with the road curving to the left, this should place the photo slightly east of the place where the extension to Jericho Turnpike (today’s Harned Road) would be built in 1927. This unpaved section was probably compacted dirt, possibly oiled to limit dust. The numbers might have been an index system used by the photographer/publisher to locate the image for re-orders. Could not find any other postcard images.
From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series
O. K. No question now that the big tree was south of the RoW/bridge. However, I question the IDs of the group. The resolution just isn’t enough to distinguish the two men in white dusters to the right of the pine tree; the one in the dark duster is clearly Pardington as shown in photo 48A because the very-imposing Thompson, with his white moustache, is unmistakable at right, as he is in the Mystery Foto to the left of the pine. The two unknowns in dusters are probably members of the Motor parkway Commission, leaving the two ordinary mortals at left in both pix to be Brown or his engineers. I’d opt for it being Brown in the snap-brim fedora. Doncha just love “temperoary” and “Jeruslem” and offi-ice” in 48A? Seaking of Thompson, have we seen this fab. 1906 LIMP pic: <https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:183005>? Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location
Al P., Here’s a better view of the marker as well a link to Howard’s entry for it.
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/motor_parkway_historical_marker_at_the_site_of_the_1908_ground-breaking_cer
From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location
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